Hold-up safety device



109. SAFES, BANK PROTECTION AND RELATED DEVICES.

Feb. 7, 1928.

W. ALBERT HOLD-UP SAFETY DEVICE Fild Dec. 22. 1926 JINYENTOR H19. DAI- Lb, DANA rnulnuuuw RELATED DEVICES.

WILLIAM ALBERT,

on NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

HOLD-"UP SAFETY DEVICE.

Application filed December 22, 1926. Serial No. 156,410.

This invention relates generally to holdup safety and signal devices, the dev1ce being particularly adapted for use in connection with bank paying teller cages as a means of preventing a hold-up man or the like from robbing the paying teller.

The object of the invention is toprovi-de a hold-up safety and signal device of novel construction and arrangement ofp'art's, here; inafter more fully described, claimed 511 1 illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a front elevational fragmentary view of a bank paying tellers cage, embodying my improved safety and signal device.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of my improved device, showing same in an open position.

Fig. t is a vertical sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the locking device as embodied in my improved device.

The counter 10, the wicket 11, the upright members 12, the upper member 13, and the bars 14, are ordinary elements of a bank paying tellers cage, such as generally employed to prevent the thief to obtain money contained therein. It being understood that the paying teller hands the money through the Wicket 11 over the counter to the party receiving same.

As here embodied my improved safety and signal device comprises a housing or casing 15, adapted to extend above the wicket 11, and provided with side elements 16, extended downwardly therefrom and are resting on the counter 10.

The upper enclosing member 17 is pivot ally attached, at its upper extremity, to the rod 18, which is attached to the casing 15. The intermediate encasing member 19, has formed or bent therefrom, projecting elements 20, located in elongated slots 21 formed in the upper encasing member. The lower encasing member 24 is provided with similar projecting elements 22 located in the elongated slots 23 formed in the intermediate encasing member 19. There is a space between the side members of the wicket frame and the side elements 16 of the housing which is sufliciently wide to accommodate all the encasing members when in their upper, superimposed position. The ends of the encasing members are guided by the side elements 16 and are restrained from inward movement thereby, thus preventing the encasing members from being pushed inwardly when in their lower extended position. The above described construction being such as elwill permit the said encasing members 17, 19 and 24 to entirely enclose or encase the wicket 11, when in a lowered or opened position.

The solenoids 25 are attached to any convenient part of the herein after described paying tellers cage, and are provided with movable cores 26, or plungers, which are normally urged outwardly by expansion springs 27 positioned on the said plungers, so as to normally hold the intermediate encasing member 19 and the lower encasing member 24, in a closed or upper position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

The solenoid 25 is operatively connected to the electric battery 28, or to any suitable convenient source of electric current, and to the electric bell 29, gong, or any similar suitable signal device, and to the push button 30, preferably attached under the counter 10, within easy reach of the paying teller occupying the cage equipped with my improved device.

The lower encasing member may have attached to, and depending therefrom flexible members 31, cords or the like, extended downwardly therefrom through the counter 10, and having attached thereto, at their free extremities counter weights 32, as a means of causing the said oncasing members to open more rapidly.

Referring in particular to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated the locking device adapted to hold the said encasing members in an open position.

The plunger is slidably mounted in any convenient part of the said cage, and is positioned, so as to have its extended extremity 36, which is normally urged outwardly by a compression spring 37, so located as to be in the path of the lower encasing member 24, which is provided with a tapered edge 38. The plunger 35, has pivotally attached there-to, a lever 39 which is pivotally attached, at or near its center to the said cage. The pin 40 is pivotally attached, as at 4:1, to the lever 39, and is slidably mounted in an aperture formed in the said cage. The above described construction being such as will permit the tapered edge 38 of the lower encasing member 24, when assuming an opened position, to strike the plunger 35, so as to cause the pin 40, to engage in an aperture 42 provided in the encasing member 24. The said mechanism may be enclosed or encased, as at 43, so as to prevent the hold-up man from disengaging the pin 40.

Havin thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A safety device for wickets of bank tellers cages comprising a casing disposed above the frame of said wicket, side members connected with said casing extending downwardly therefrom and spaced apart from the side of the frame of said wicket, an upper encasing section having spaced slots therein mount-ed in said casing an in terme'liate encasing section comprising outwardly directed projections slidably guided at its extremities between the side elements of said casing and the side members of the frame of the wicket, said projections being extended through the slots of said upper encasing section and said intermediate sections being provided with spaced slots, a lower encasing section comprising projections extended through the slots of said intermediate sections, said lower section being guided at its extremities between the sides of the wicket frame and the side elements resist the action of said weights for retaining said encasing sections in undisclosed superimposed position within said casing, said sections being adapted to descend to extended position and remain in suspended relation by intcrengagement of said slots and projections for covering said wicket when said catch is released and to be restrained from inward motion thereafter by engagement of the extremities thereof with the side elements of said casing.

2. A safety device for a cage having a wicket therein comprising a housing disposed over said wicket, side elements on said housing spaced apart from the sides of the frame of said wicket and extend downwardly parallel thereto, an encasing section mounted in a housing, a plurality of slidably connected encasing sections slidably attached together, and to said first mentioned encasing sections and slidably guided at their extremities between the side extensions of said housing and the side elements of the frame of the wicket, said sections being adapted to be positioned in undisclosed superimposed relation within said housing and to extend therefrom to the bottom of said wicket for closing the same, a catch comprising a plunger and a solenoid for retaining said sections in superimposed relation, and weights attached to said sections for urging the same downwardly when said plunger is retracted by excitation of said solenoid, said sections being restrained from movement by engagement of the extremities thereof with the side extension of said housing.

. In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

WILLIAM ALBERT. 

